


Read My Mind

by GleekPlusDirectioner



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M, mindreader!liam, short-lived angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-11
Updated: 2015-07-11
Packaged: 2018-04-08 17:47:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4314561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GleekPlusDirectioner/pseuds/GleekPlusDirectioner
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ever had inappropriate thoughts in the middle of a large group of people? Ever gone on to think 'This would be awkward if someone could read my mind'?</p><p>Niall has. And he's about to get the shock of his life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Read My Mind

**Author's Note:**

> I've posted this on Tumblr already, but people seemed to really enjoy it, so it's here now, too :)

Niall was fully aware that he was paying his lecturer zero attention. He gazed blankly at the projector screen, feeling his lips twitch upwards when his boyfriend beside him absently brushed his thumb across his knuckles. Gently squeezing the hand of the boy to his right, Niall found himself slipping into thoughts of all the things he would rather be doing.

_'Cuddling with Liam… kissing Liam… touching Liam… sleeping with Liam… just LIAM.'_

Shaking his head a little as he slipped a little too far into his thoughts, Niall felt his cheeks colour just a little.

 _'Awkward if someone could read minds,'_ he thought with a tiny smirk. _'Cough if you're a mind reader.'_

Niall froze completely when he heard a cough.

 _'What the FUCK?'_ Looking to his right to where Liam was scribbling in his notebook, Niall thought, _'Cough again.'_

Sure enough, Liam turned his head slightly and coughed into his shoulder before returning to his notes.

Niall felt as though widening his eyes any more would result in them falling out of his head. _'NO.'_ He subtly pulled his hand from Liam's to scratch the back of his head, deliberately neglecting to re-join their hands.

 

As soon as their lecture was over, Niall was up out of his seat and packing his things into his backpack.

"Whoa, Nialler, slow down," Liam chuckled, sliding his things into his own bag. "What's the hurry?"

With a deep breath, Niall shook his head. "Nothing." He gave Liam a smile. "Let's get back to my room, yeah?"

"Alright," Liam grinned.

 _'Coincidence,'_ Niall decided firmly.

 

The thought didn't leave Niall's head all afternoon, through the whole of _Anchorman_ , through dinner in the communal kitchen, right up to cuddling on his bed with Liam, which always led to more. He felt Liam lips make contact with his neck, pressing tiny kisses along to his pressure point.

But Niall wasn't in it. He half-heartedly brought a hand up to the back of Liam's head and loosely gripped his hair in an attempt to play off his mood.

Liam sighed heavily and lifted his head. "You're not up for this," he commented.

Sending Liam an apologetic look, Niall closed his eyes with a huff. "Had something on my mind."

"I know," Liam replied quietly.

"Just… something from the lecture today-"

"I know," Liam repeated, his voice at a steady level. "I know."

Niall opened his eyes and frowned slightly at his boyfriend. "What do you mean you know?" His heart rate picked up a little. _'Cough if you're the mind-reader.'_

Meeting Niall's eyes, Liam asked quietly, "Is coughing really necessary?"

Niall yelped and sat up on his bed, scooting back from Liam so there was a good foot of space between them. "What the actual fuck, Liam?!" he exclaimed.

"I… I'm sorry, I…" Liam buried his face in his hands. "I didn't know how to tell you."

"We've been together six months…" Niall's eyes nearly bugged out of his head. "Have you been reading my mind his whole time?!"

"No, I… Niall-" Liam tried desperately, reaching for the blonde.

"Don't even," Niall snapped, smacking Liam's hand away.

Liam sat back a little. "How'd you think I always knew exactly what you wanted when we were having sex?" he whispered.

"I just thought you were really good at reading me!" Niall jumped off the bed and backed away. "Have you just been manipulating me this whole time?" he asked, trying and failing to keep his emotions out of his voice.

" _No_ , Niall, I swear-"

"Shut up," Niall cut in. "Just shut up."

A heavy silence settled over them, Liam's eyes on his hands while Niall watched his every move.

"Well?" Niall snapped.

Liam lifted his head, hurt showing clearly in his eyes, now mixed with a hint of confusion. "Well what?" he asked quietly.

"You can read my fucking mind, you know damn well what!" Niall shouted.

"I can't." Shaking his head, Liam explained, "I can only do that if I'm touching you." He sighed heavily, eyes falling to his hands again. "I'll probably never hear your thoughts again, now," he whispered.

Niall took several deep breaths. "Why the fuck didn't you tell me?" he demanded, voice wavering with emotion.

"Because who wants anything to do with a mind-reader?" Liam laughed humourlessly, meeting Niall's eyes. "Our thoughts are our most personal possessions. With me, you can't have those. How'm I supposed to have a real relationship with someone when I know exactly what they're thinking every second I'm in contact with them?"

Niall stood silently, considering Liam's point.

Standing from the bed, Liam grabbed his bag. "I don't have to be a mind-reader to know you don't want me here," he mumbled. Before he grasped the door handle, he whispered, "I know you're not ready to hear this, Niall, but I love you. You have no idea how many times I haven't said that because I knew you didn't want to hear it yet, but I don't care. You need to know." Blowing out a shaky breath, Liam wrapped his hand around the handle. "Thank you for the best six months of my life." With that, he pushed the door open and left Niall standing in shock in the corner of the room.

"Did he just break up with me?" Niall choked out, horrified. "Liam!" He scrambled out of the room, racing after the brunette. "Liam, wait!" he called down the hallway as Liam hurried around the corner. " _Liam_!"

"D'you mind having your domestic somewhere else?" someone snapped from their doorway before slamming the door shut.

Flipping his neighbour off through the door, Niall pulled his own door shut and ran in the direction of Liam's room. It was just as he stumbled up the second flight of stairs that he spotted Liam again, bolting up to him and grabbing his wrist.

"No!" Liam snatched his arm away from Niall's grip.

Niall forcefully grasped Liam's arm and clamped it in a vice-like grip, staring intently at his hands.

_'Don't go… Shit he broke up with me… No, oh my god… He loves me… Fuck you, don't leave me… He should've told me… I need you… Don't leave me… This is too much… I don't even care… DON'T LEAVE ME…'_

"I need to," Liam insisted, attempting to prize Niall's hands off him. "Please, Niall, let me do this."

Niall yanked Liam forward and kissed him solidly. "I love you, too," he breathed out against Liam's lips. "Please, Liam, don't do this." Pressing another, softer, kiss to Liam's mouth when he didn't respond, Niall explained quietly, "I thought about what you said. You're right, I can see how it would suck, and I-"

"I know," Liam whispered.

Niall nodded his head. "I don't always know what I need. Just because you know what I _want_ , doesn't mean you know what I _need_. But you always seem to know anyway." Wrapping his arms around Liam's neck and burying his face in the older boy's shoulder, Niall whispered, "I need you, Liam."

Liam blew out a sharp breath before holding Niall tightly against him. "Thank you." Pressing a kiss to Niall's cheek, he suggested, "Let's go back to your room, yeah?" He smirked at the images that flashed through Niall's head. "One-track mind, you've got."

Grinning up at Liam, Niall merely grabbed his hand and dragged him back towards the stairs.


End file.
